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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Intel brings Medfield to Russia with the MegaFon Mint

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/22/intel-brings-medfield-to-russia-with-the-megafon-mint/

The Intel-powered mobile machine has been slowly picking up pace this year. Now, the chip-maker has signed up a new partner in the form of Russian operator MegaFon. So, it looks like we might see another (and we must say familiar looking) network-branded Android Medfield phone in the form of the MegaFon Mint. The spec-sheet, again, poses no surprises, with the same 1.6GHz Z2460 chip 1GB of RAM, 4-inch screen and 8-megapixel camera only further enhancing the sense of deja vu. What will be unique, however, is the price, which looks set at 17,990 Rubles (about $565), available from today.

Filed under: Cellphones

Intel brings Medfield to Russia with the MegaFon Mint originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 11:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Archos 101 XS review: a tablet that puts the keyboard center stage

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/22/archos-101-xs-review/

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Archos has had its hand in the slate game since the early days of "internet media tablets," and while its products don't have quite the same brand recognition as, say, Samsung's, we've found the French company's devices to be some of the best-value tablets available. Budget-minded prices and innovation don't usually go hand in hand, but in the case of its new 101 XS Android 4.0 tablet, Archos has a few tricks up its sleeve. The slate boasts a keyboard cover and kickstand, along with a magnetic hinge allowing the lid to attach to the display. Arriving in November for $400, the Archos 101 XS is a productivity-minded take on slates, complete with a full set of keys and a bundled copy of OfficeSuite Pro. Do the hardware and software add up to a killer combo? Read on to find out.

Gallery: Archos 101 XS review

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Filed under: Tablet PCs

Archos 101 XS review: a tablet that puts the keyboard center stage originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 12:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vizio Co-Star teardown supplies the tech specs we never had

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/22/vizio-co-star-teardown-supplies-the-tech-specs-we-never-had/

Vizio's Co-Star Google TV hub has been public knowledge for more than half of 2012, but it might as well have been a black box as far as its internals were concerned. It's mostly been a mystery beyond the acknowledgment of a Marvell ARM chip inside. The teardown gurus at iFixit certainly weren't content to let that riddle go unanswered. Their exploration of the box shows that Vizio is very much clinging to the initial Marvell vision of using a dual-core, 1.2GHz Armada 1500 to handle 1080p video at that $100 price -- albeit with just 4GB of flash to store everything the Android OS demands. What may interest hobbyists is simply the accessibility of the set-top box: just about every board and component comes out easily, which could lead to some cheaper DIY surgery. The full parts list is waiting at the source if knowing how your Google TV box operates is as important as catching up on Netflix.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Vizio Co-Star teardown supplies the tech specs we never had originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 13:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This Nifty App Lets Consumers Scan Bar Codes To See Product Reviews

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/this-nifty-app-lets-consumers-scan-bar-codes-to-see-product-reviews-2012-8

Consumr, app

Consumr is a clever new app that lets shoppers find product reviews by scanning an item's barcode. Even better, it might help them save money.

On the mobile site, items are ranked from one to five stars, and users sound off on every aspect of a product from its flavor to price.

People scan items for reviews, view an Instagram-like feed of reviews on Discover, or browse categories like grocery and personal care via Search. It's like Pinterest with the crowdsourcing of Yelp.

"It's about bringing your friends into the conversation," said CEO Ryan Charles of the outsourced reviews. "On Facebook, any friends can see what products you like, and you can follow users to help facilitate that decision-making process. It's like a Wikipedia of products."

For shoppers prone to buying things they regret, the app is also useful for dodging buyer's remorse.

"I realized that shopping at grocery and drugstores is really a tough experience, and since most purchases happen at bricks-and-mortars, I wanted to give people information about these consumer products," Charles said.

The CEO, who worked on Zagat's mobile apps before Consumr, got the idea for the app after hearing his sister gripe about buying leaky diapers. To broaden the user experience—and help others avoid horror stories like hers—he added tabs like Alternatives and Nutrition, so people can see more than reviews and see whether a product fits their lifestyle.

The app does have some dow! nsides: It lacks key categories like pets, generic groceries and school supplies, and could do more in the way of price comparison, though prices tend to vary from state to state.

Consumr might also want to restructure its Experts feed since its hard to tell an expert from an average joe review. Since discovery is Consumr's strongest selling point so far, shoppers will want an easier way to curate their feed, and at the moment there's no clear way to go about it.

Price: Free on iTunes

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Nikon's Coolpix S800c: an Android-powered point-and-shoot camera for $350

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/22/nikon-coolpix-s800c-android-camera-pricing-ship-date-details/

It's here: the first Android-powered camera, and it's one that you'd actually consider buying. Nikon's $349.95 Coolpix S800c is nearly as slim as a smartphone from the middle of last decade, boasting inbuilt GPS (you know, for excessive geotagging), a 10x optical zoom lens, 16 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, 3.5-inch OLED WVGA touchscreen, a 1080p movie capture mode and Android 2.3. That's right -- there's a bona fide copy of Android running the show on a point-and-shoot camera, something that it seems Nikon beat Samsung to the punch with. Put simply, it possesses the ability to generate its own network and tether with your phone, and users can also download photo sharing applications directly onto the cam's 4GB of internal storage. Needless to say, we're anxiously awaiting our chance to see how Android handles on a camera (and how it impacts battery life), and you can find out yourself when it hits shelves in black / white motifs next month.

Gallery: Nikon Coolpix S800c photo gallery